


Second Chance

by AngelusAngel1100



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: But that's okay she'll work through them, Collaboration, F/F, Gen, Pink Pearl is a klutz confirmed, Spinel has issues, The Diamonds are good moms, gay shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2020-11-27 00:02:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20938979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelusAngel1100/pseuds/AngelusAngel1100
Summary: Spinel is struggling to adjust to her new life on Homeworld; no matter what, it seems as though she can't escape the memories that she wants so desperately to forget. Thankfully, she's met a cute pearl who's willing to make that recovery alongside her.Collaboration story: credit goes to my friend as well :)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Wassup mah bois it's RangerLauren I'm back from the dead w h a t
> 
> So this is a collab story I did with an epic friend of mine so go check her o u t; all credit goes to her really, she came up with the ideas, I just contributed some of the writing lol
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyyyyy

The warp pad activated and the three nimble figures of Pearls, each color-coordinated to their respective Diamonds- Yellow, Blue, and Pink- leapt to their feet in anticipation. The blue pearl did a courteous bow towards the towering figures. The yellow pearl just stood in a proud, authoritative, back straightening stance. “My diamonds!” They both proclaimed, one voice stern and the other was quiet. One of the diamonds waved her hand dismissively at the two pearls. “No need for that, pearl.” A commanding voice stated. The slouched diamond who wore a thin cloak and she had her palm up and her hand covering the figure who she was carrying. 

Blue pearl looked up at her diamond. “My diamond, if you don’t mind me asking; who is that you have in your hand?” She asked, apologetically. Her hair was blocking her eyes, but she could still see that her diamond was carrying… something. The diamond bend down slowly and uncovered her hand, revealing a gem of lanky stature. This gem was pink but unlike most of the former Pink Diamond’s subjects, her palate was darker than most. The gem walked carefully off of the diamond’s hand, glancing about the palace hallway that was in front of her. “Wow-wee! This place looks amazing!”

And indeed it was amazing. Although the palace was as grandiose and elegant as one would expect from the rulers of Homeworld, the atmosphere was much less cold and definitely not as stuffy as Spinel originally thought. The halls, once monochromatic and almost boring in appearance, now popped with significantly more color, although it still stayed true to the Diamond color scheme. The crystalline floor was now covered in an enormous rug made of a fine material she didn’t recognize but liked the feel of. Gems, instead of darting up and down the halls in irrational fear of being seen, now freely roamed as they chatted with their friends. Different types of gems of different Diamonds were communicating with each other, she also noticed. She even took note that some of the gems that occupied Homeworld were even waving at them! She turned and glanced over to Blue, Yellow and White. Blue was even waving back at some of the passing workers at the palace. 

She glanced around until her dark magenta eyes landed on a slim figure and everyone saw hearts flying above and around Spinel, making Yellow pearl scoff and Blue diamond chuckled lightly. White was really confused as to why this was happening. She glanced over to where Spinel was looking towards, before chuckling softly to herself. “Pink Pearl…. I would like you to meet someone who will be staying with you.” She smiled, before the pearl looked at Spinel. “A spinel? I haven’t seen a spinel since…” She trailed off before Spinel interjected before grinning. "Sure. Haha, I didn't think I would get my own room to be honest. Well, as long as it's not Pink's room, I'm sure it'll be swell!" White cleared her throat. “Then it’s settled! Spinel will be staying with you in your room.” The diamond glanced over to her fellow diamonds. “Perhaps we should let Spinel get to know her new friend.” She stated as blue nodded as all three diamonds walked into the garden. 

Spine rubbed her arm awkwardly and glanced over towards the pink pearl. “So.. uh…” 

Blue pearl giggled at Spinel’s awkwardness. Spinel glared at the gem with a look that shouted ‘you're the one to talk!’. Blue pearl cleared her throat before turning to Pink Pearl. “If you would like, I can accompany you both to the room.” Pink Pearl shook her head. “No need! I think I am capable of doing so myself.” She stated cheerfully, before she accidentally bumped into a crystal vase. “Oops!” She exclaimed after barely managing to catch the object. “On second thought… that might be a good idea, Blue.”


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The road to healing is a long one, and two gems have taken the first steps towards it together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We back boiiiiiisss
> 
> Aight I'm gonna put a trigger warning for this chapter as there is a pretty detailed description of a panic attack, so just a warning to you peeps

Spinel glanced about the hallway as the Pink Pearl walked alongside her and Blue was in front of them. It didn’t take long for Spinel to notice the color scheme of the hallway; pink. She instinctively clung to Pink Pearl for support as anxiety started to boil within the gem. The pearl beside her clutched the traumatized gem’s hand and gently squeezed in reassurance.

“Are you okay, Spinel?” The pearl asked,clearly concerned. Spinel shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” 

Spinel released Pink Pearl’s arm, internally cursing herself for being so paranoid. The Diamonds knew- or at least had a faint idea- of what Pink did to her. Surely they wouldn’t stick her in the room of that very same gem. The Diamonds weren’t like that; Spinel was just being stupid, as always. Blue Pearl stopped at a giant diamond shaped door, this one was colored pink. Spinel began to feel panic within her chest where her gem was. Pink Pearl was the first to notice this, as she was right next to Spinel. 

Once Blue Diamond’s Pearl had left them to their room, she walked in with Pink Pearl and immediately felt the wind get knocked right out of her. Her pupils shrunk, landing on the horrifyingly-familiar curtains and carved pink pillars that towered over her menacingly. This was her room, this was Pink’s room. This was where she and Pink would spend their time before the garden was built, before Pink left her standing there-

Despite not needing to in the first place, Spinel suddenly couldn’t breathe, as though something was gripping her chest and neck in a vice grip, squeezing and squeezing until her head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton. She braced her hands on her knees, terror causing her entire physical form to tremble violently. She blinked, and bit back a scream as the dying flowers flashed in and out of her vision and the roots snaked around her ankles, holding her in place, trapping her, she was alone and scared and confused and she needed to leave RIGHT NOW. She needed to escape, she had to escape, run far, far away, but where could she go? She didn’t know where to go, she couldn’t run with the dead plants holding her in place-

“Spinel?” Spinel could just barely register Pink Pearl’s voice, but it sounded faint and far away. Why was that? Was she about to pass out? Was she dying? Was this what dying felt like?

She felt something latch onto her arm; it was the roots, they were crawling up her form. She wrenched herself away and tried to scream, but her throat was so tight and strangled that it came out as a faint whimper instead. The realization that her boots were in fact not pinned the ground somewhat snapped her back into reality, and her wild eyes landed on her companion, who was staring at her in shock and concern.

“Spinel?” Pink Pearl repeated. “Are...are you okay?”

With a huge effort, Spinel bit back the onslaught of emotions that threatened to pour out of her. She straightened up and clenched her fists tightly, trying to keep them from shaking. Get a grip, get a grip, she scolded herself. “I’m fine.”

Pink Pearl’s brow furrowed. “But-”

“I’m fine,” Spinel repeated rather stiffly, embarrassment starting to rise to the surface now that her initial panic had been forced down. Barely an hour in, and she was already causing a scene. How pathetic could she get? Thankfully, Pink Pearl decided to drop the issue, although she still look rather worried. Spinel’s insides churned at the sympathetic glance. She didn’t want to be pitied.

Spinel bit her lip hard as Pink Pearl led her further into the room, trying not to focus on anything for too long. Her lithe companion showed her the various bits of pink furniture, but any conversation she tried to make was nothing but white noise to the fuchsia gem. Despite having calmed down a little to save her nonexistent dignity, Spinel was still stuck in...whatever was causing her to act like this. It was all she could do to avoid collapsing or completely breaking down right then and there. The dozens of succulents and other house plants that lined the windowsills, balcony, and walls certainly weren’t helping either.

The two stepped out onto the balcony, and the distinct lack of pink helped Spinel get a hold of herself a little bit more. She was finally able to tune in to what Pink Pearl was saying, and she could feel the guilt crawling up her back already. What if Pink Pearl noticed she wasn’t paying attention and got annoyed with her?

“-have the pebbles make you a bed, if you want,” Pink Pearl finished, giving Spinel a bright smile. “Even if sleeping isn't for you, they’re very comfortable.”

“Uh…” Spinel had no idea what she was talking about. “...Sure?”

“Great!” Pink Pearl’s smile made Spinel’s knees weak, and the slender gem pushed away the curtains as she reentered the room. “Hello, pebbles! Would you mind making a bed for my friend Spinel? Perfect, thank you very much!”

Spinel peeked into the room, trying her best to ignore the color scheme, and watched as dozens of tiny figures scrambled to an empty spot on the floor. She knew the pebbles existed from the...last time she’d been there, but they’d always hide from her. She now realized that she had definitely been too hyperactive for them back in the day and bit the inside of her cheek hard at the thought.

“It’ll take them a while to finish making it,” Pink Pearl stated. She approached a small rug resting on the floor and sat down, crossing her legs and smoothing out her skirt. “In the meantime, should we get to know each other?”

Spinel scratched the back of her neck. “Sounds good, I guess.”

There was an awkward pause before Pink Pearl patted the rug beside her. “You can sit down. I don’t mind.”

Spinel jolted, her cheeks flushing in mild embarrassment. “Oh! Right, duh.” She strode stiffly over to the slightly-taller gem and plopped gracelessly onto the rug, her pigtails bobbing back and forth. Pink Pearl smiled softly at the other gem and giggled. Spinel chuckled awkwardly, she didn’t really want to make a fool out of herself. Out of the corner of her magenta colored eyes, Spinel caught a glimpse of a few of the pebbles lifting a compartment in the floor to get a glimpse at what was going on. Were they here to judge her? Did the diamonds tell them about what she had done to earth? Did they even tell the pearl she was roomed with? 

For now, she sat on the rug and perked up when a few small pebbles stepped out their hiding places before they walked up to her. “Pink Pearl and… new person?” One of them said in what sounded like a small female. 

Spinel chuckled awkwardly at this. _Oh… great… even some boring pebbles don’t even remember me..._

Pink Pearl glanced over to Spinel, who grinned to hide her sadness. The pearl saw right through her facade, but she decided to go along with it. “This is Spinel, she’ll be staying with me from now on.” Two pebbles gasped in shock when they heard the name. “Spinel?” One of them slowly approached the gem. Spinel didn’t really know what to do or say in this situation, so she just smiled at them in an awkward manner. It was until some of them started to climb her legs and body, she started to panic again. Feeling her chest tighten, Spinel was brought back to that garden she never mentally left. She began to hyperventilate while swiping the pebbles away and off her body. Noises of surprise was heard amongst the small pebbles when two of them landed on their backs. 

Pink Pearl got up quickly and glanced at the pebbles before urging them away from the traumatized gem. When they were all gone, Pink Pearl walked over to Spinel who was sitting in place, staring blankly into space. The pearl sat next to the gem and glanced towards the other gem in deep concern, reaching for her hand. She then quickly withdrew the thought as it wasn’t what Spinel needed or wanted at the moment.

A few minutes later, Spinel blinked her eyes and turned to look at Pink Pearl. There was a hint of shame in her magenta eyes. The other gem got up from where she was and walked over to the door. She turned around before smiling. “Would you like to get out of this dusty old room and have some fun?” Spinel smiled lightly and nodded. “Sure.”


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pink Pearl has helped Spinel get used to being in the palace, and it's time that Spinel returned the favor.
> 
> (TW panic attack)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back from the dead! Sorry we've been inactive, but we're more active on this Spinel Discord server if you want to interact: https://discord.gg/cAdxttg  
(if you need a code, it's fMzVrbk) -AngelusAngel1100
> 
> Waddup nerds, sorry this is so late, college has been h e l l but I'm working it out lol. Christmas break's coming up so I should have some time to collab during it -RangerLauren

“Where are we going?” Spinel asked for what seemed like the tenth time as she was practically dragged up and down the halls of the palace. Pink Pearl still had yet to tell her where they were going; she had just taken her hand and led Spinel through the palace until Spinel was completely turned around. 

“Somewhere more...fun,” Pink Pearl replied cryptically. “The palace is nice, but we won’t be able to do much without the Diamonds breathing down our necks.”

“Where did you have in mind?” Spinel asked, her curiosity peaked.

A ray of blue light was seen and the chime of the warp pad was heard softly as Spinel and Pink P walked along a road within a small town: Little Homeworld. There was a chilly fall breeze upon the air, as the sun had gone down. 

Spinel immediately stiffened, smelling the all-too familiar organic stench of the Earth. “What- what are we doing here?” Her thoughts were running rampant, and she didn’t know what to make of the situation. Pink P saw how Spinel’s demeanor had changed and she began to internally panic, thinking this was not a good idea at all. Behind her, she heard the whispers of some of the gem dizidents of Little Homeworld. 

“Does this mean White has found us?” a pair consisting of a yellow and green jade stated fearfully. Pink P glanced around and saw the faces riddled with fear from the Little Homeworld gems. She had no memory of what she did under White Diamond's control. She suspected she did nothing good, due to how much fear everyone was in. 

Spinel glanced at the other gems before looking towards Pink P, who was starting to look ashamed. "Hey wai-" 

The pink pearl was too freaked out to register that Spinel was reaching for her. She quickly got on the warp pad and left, without a second thought. She had to get out of there, she had to forget that she hurt people.

Spinel was left standing just in front of the warp pad, confused and a little concerned for her new friend. Pink Pearl had been so cheerful and friendly, so seeing her in such a distressed state was rather jarring. Ignoring the strange looks from the other gems, she hopped onto the pad and warped back to the palace, where Pink Pearl could be seen standing in the center of the room.

“Sorry,” she said, not turning around. “I just...needed a moment.”

Spinel rubbed her arm awkwardly. “Are ya okay, Pinky?”

Pink Pearl straightened up. She spun around, a wide smile plastered onto her features. “Yes, I'm fine now.” She blinked in slight surprise. “‘Pinky’?”

Spinel blushed immediately. “Oh geez. Uh, sorry, I probably should have-”

“No, it’s okay,” Pink Pearl giggled. “I like it.”

Spinel chuckled nervously, not really knowing what to say at that. “Do ya...need anything?”

Pink Pearl thought for a moment. “Um...I don’t suppose you know how to make tea, do you?”

“I can try?” Spinel offered, turning towards a small set of cupboards up against the wall. She opened one and began sifting through the contents inside curiously. “So, uh, what’s ‘tea’ look like?”

Pink Pearl blushed and met Spinel’s expectant gaze. “Well, the leaves are in a small box. You have to...actually-” She started to walk towards Spinel. “Here, I can do it. It’s alright.”

Spinel narrowed her eyes. “Nu-uh. I said I would do it, so I’m doing it. You go sit down.” She stretched out one of her arms and began gently pushing Pink Pearl back over to the couch. “I got this.”

“U-uh, okay,” the pearl said, smiling softly as she moved over to the couch, before glancing over at a folded blanket that she would use for comfort when she would have a lot of her mind. She wrapped it around herself and watched as Spinel read over the directions on the back of the tea container, scratching her head.

Soon, the elastic gem walked over to the pearl with a cup of chamomile tea before plopping down on the other end of the couch. “So… What were they whispering about? I didn’t quite hear due to my crippling anxiety,” she said, trying to nervously chuckle at her depressing attempt at a joke.

Pink Pearl tried to hide her face in her mug as she awkwardly sipped her tea, “Oh, it’s nothing really.”

Spinel sighed deeply. “I know whatever happened has been bothering you. I know you try and keep on a brave face for me, but you don’t have to! Talk to me about it! Steven taught me it’s good to talk things out when you're not okay.”

Pink Pearl hesitated, her fingers curling tighter around the mug. “Well…” She inhaled through her nose. “When I was...Pink’s, we spent a lot of time together. Maybe even too much time together. We would get into a lot of trouble, and soon the Diamonds got tired of it."

As if on cue, two towering figures walked in, unannounced. Yellow diamond glanced over to Spinel, crossing her arms. “So.. did you two do anything fun yet?” She asked, curiously with a wink. 

Spinel chuckled awkwardly. “Uh… I’m just making her some tea.” She glanced over to her roommate. Blue Diamond shook her head with a smile. “Spinel, it’s perfectly alright if you went out and had fun. We want you to feel at home here.” She walked to the pearl, taking note of the fuzzy, looking blanket that was wrapped around the pearl’s shoulders and her body. “How are you liking the new arrangements?” She asked, before clearing her throat. “Why the blankets though?” The pink gem gulped in nervousness. The diamond’s eyes went wide. “Ah, that was inappropriate of me to ask.” She then glanced over to Yellow. “Please don’t make a big deal out of them wanting to have fun, Yellow.” She sighed deeply. 

Yellow Diamond straightened as she looked over towards Spinel and Pink Pearl. “Just be careful.” She smiled before the two diamonds walked out of the room and down the hall.


End file.
